Glossary of teamSOS terms

Key terms used in teamSOS and across this Help Centre, from A to Z.

A · C · D · E · G · H · I · L · M · O · Q · R · S · T · U · W

A

Admin

The Admin section of the teamSOS web app, where authorised people can make changes to your system, such as users, settings and configuration.

Announcements

A tool in teamSOS used for broadcasting important information or updates to all staff, or to selected groups, at the same time. This feature is essential for rapid information sharing and coordination in emergency situations.

Automatic Escalation

Automated protocols within teamSOS that ensure an incident is escalated to higher authority levels (like the Senior Leadership Team) if there is no initial response.

Availability

A feature which allows users to set their own availability on whether they are to be alerted to notifications.

C

Call for Help

The button in the teamSOS app that allows staff to quickly report various types of incidents. It is customised to each organisations unique priorities and concerns.

Critical Alerts

An iPhone and iPad setting that lets urgent teamSOS alerts get through even when the device is on silent or Do Not Disturb.

D

Dashboard

A snapshot of all incidents, messages and announcements that have been raised over a configurable time frame.

Desktop Alerts

Alerts that show teamSOS Announcements on staff’s Windows computers, even when the teamSOS app is closed. IT sets them up through the Onboarding Wizard.

Desktop Takeover Alerts

A Desktop Alert that takes over the whole screen on Windows computers. Windows only, and can be sent to selected groups.

Drill devices

Windows computers tagged by IT so they receive drill alerts, letting you practise without alerting every device. See Running a controlled drill.

Drills

Practice scenarios conducted using the teamSOS system to ensure staff are familiar with emergency protocols and the app's functionality. These drills can simulate various types of incidents, helping organisations prepare for real-life emergencies.

For step-by-step instructions on setting up and running a controlled drill, see the Running a controlled drill guide.

E

Editions (Lockdown and Enterprise)

teamSOS comes in two editions. Lockdown is for raising the alarm and coordinating site-wide responses such as lockdown, invacuation and evacuation. Enterprise adds a menu of incident buttons, each routed to its own response team, for everyday and SOS incidents.

Emergency response team

On Enterprise, the team that leads site-wide emergencies, such as a lockdown or evacuation. Each incident type also has its own response team for everyday incidents.

Emergency Types

Specific classifications within teamSOS for critical and urgent situations requiring immediate response, such as 'Evacuation', 'Lockdown', and 'Medical Emergency'. These types ensure that the most appropriate response protocols are activated swiftly.

G

Guidance

Refers to the accessible repository of policies, protocols, and procedures within teamSOS. This feature supports staff in responding to incidents correctly and consistently, providing instant access to relevant guidelines and best practices.

- Articles: A piece of writing about a particular subject. These sit under Topics.

- Downloads: Downloadable documents that are loaded onto the system for users to download as and when needed.

- Help Videos: A visual instructional video designed to teach users how to perform a specific task or learn a particular skill.

- Links: External links to guidance outside of teamSOS.

- Tasklists (formerly Playbooks): A tasklist allows you to add additional tasks to help responders and to remain compliant to policies and procedures.

- Topics: The over-arching subject that articles will sit under.

H

Hubs

Smart Hub which enables you to pair your smart buttons for use without a mobile phone being present.

I

Incident

Any event or situation reported through the teamSOS app that requires attention or intervention. Incidents can range from urgent behavioural support and medical emergencies to lockdowns and general assistance requests.

- Active Incidents: All incidents that are still open.

- Closed Incidents: Incidents that have been closed / resolved.

Incident record

A time-stamped record of an incident, saved automatically when it is closed. On Enterprise, it can be shared to SIMS, CPOMS or MyConcern.

Incident Thread

A dedicated communication channel within the app that opens when an incident is reported, allowing for coordinated response and real-time resolution.

Incident Timeline

A chronological record within the teamSOS app that captures all events, communications, and actions taken during an incident. This feature ensures transparency and accountability in incident management.

Incident Types/incident buttons

Categories within teamSOS that classify various situations that can occur in an organization. Examples include 'Urgent Behaviour Support', 'Medical Emergency', 'Student Disruption', and 'Non Urgent Medical'. These types help in organizing and responding to incidents more effectively. On Enterprise, Call for Help opens a menu of incident buttons, one for each incident type, each routed to its own response team. By default there are six: four SOS and two everyday.

Integrations

Connections between teamSOS and other systems your school uses: your MIS through Wonde (MIS integration), InVentry, and Microsoft Entra for single sign-on and user sync (SSO, Entra sync and Intune).

I’M OK / I’M NOT OK

The two replies staff can send to an Announcement. Choosing I’M NOT OK asks them to give a reason.

L

Live Voice Dictation

Hands-free transcription feature within the app, allowing staff to dictate information while attending to the incident. Voice-to-Text converts their spoken words into written text.

Live-Audio Broadcast

A feature allowing staff to live stream audio to all responders, useful in urgent situations where real-time communication is crucial.

Location

A configurable list of locations that help you quickly define where an incident is happening.

Lockdown Now

A Shortcut on the Lockdown home screen that sends your school’s pre-set Announcement to all staff straight away. It shows a warning prompt first, because pressing it runs it for real.

M

Managed Groups

Creating managed groups is an important part of announcements as you can create different membership groups to receive specific announcements.

Messaging/Chat

A feature in teamSOS that facilitates direct and group communication among staff members, across both pre-set and custom groups.

O

Onboarding Wizard

The step-by-step setup in the web app that gets teamSOS ready before you go live: adding users, assigning roles, setting up response teams, and deploying the Windows app and desktop alerts. See Onboarding Wizard: step-by-step guide.

OrgID

Your organisation’s unique ID in teamSOS, needed to complete the installation. Find it at the top of Admin > Configuration > Additional Settings.

Q

Quick Messages (Lightning Responses)

A feature that allows you to set up some generic message replies which allow you to respond faster to incidents.

R

Reporting

Reports in teamSOS present information in an organised format for a specific audience and purpose. There are two: the Guidance Pack Heat Map and the Incident Summary. See Reporting.

Responders

Individuals or teams within an organisation who are designated to take action during incidents reported on teamSOS. Responders are typically assigned based on their role, expertise, or availability, and they play a crucial part in managing and resolving incidents effectively.

Response Teams

Designated teams or individuals within the organisation who are set up in the teamSOS system to respond to specific types of incidents. These groups can be customised based on the organisations structure and needs.

Roles

What each person can do in teamSOS. There are three:

• User: responds to incidents, raises new incidents, takes part in chats, has tasks assigned and receives Announcements.
• Announcer: can also send Announcements, without full admin access. This role is also needed for Lockdown.
• Administrator: full access, including managing users, settings and incidents, and setting other users’ permissions.

See Setting up your responders and roles.

S

Shortcuts

Buttons on the teamSOS home screen that run a ready-made template in one tap, such as sending a pre-set Announcement. Admins set them up; the Lockdown edition allows up to two.

Smart Buttons

Bluetooth buttons which can be attached to the back of a lanyard, an item of clothing or kept discreetly in a pocket to provide staff with the ability to request help quickly when access to other devices may not be available.

SOS

A term used within the app for urgent support, signalling the need for immediate assistance from assigned responders for the incident.

SSO and Entra sync

Single sign-on (SSO) lets staff sign in to teamSOS with their existing school accounts, through Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID. Entra sync keeps your teamSOS user list up to date automatically: new starters appear and leavers are removed. See SSO, Entra sync and Intune.

T

Tags

Labels added to an incident to give more detail. On Enterprise, you can also tag a student, which needs the Wonde (MIS) integration.

Tasklists

A tasklist allows you to add additional tasks to help responders and to remain compliant to policies and procedures. Previously called Playbooks.

Tasks

Specific actions or steps assigned to responders within an incident thread in the teamSOS app. Tasks help in organising the response effort, ensuring that each aspect of the incident is addressed efficiently and effectively. They can be marked as complete, and progress is tracked within the app They can come from a tasklist. See Tasklists.

teamSOS

A comprehensive, all-device accessible app designed for incident management in educational institutions. It enables staff to report, manage, and resolve incidents in real-time.

Templates

Ready-made wording for Announcements and incident responses, set up by admins so staff can act quickly.

U

Urgent

An Announcement setting. Depending on how your school is set up, marking an Announcement as Urgent sends an extra email or repeats the alert tone on desktop.

Users

Everyone with a teamSOS account. Each user has one of three roles: User, Announcer or Administrator. See Roles.

W

Web app and desktop app

Use the web app to manage your account, configuration settings and more. Use the desktop app to start announcements, call for help, start a lockdown and handle other real-time safety actions. See Web app or desktop app.

Wonde

The service teamSOS uses to connect to your MIS, so it can securely read data from your MIS and write records back.